Population and Demographics of Canada
An aging population · 19.8% aged 65 or older in 2024
Canada's latest population change is +1.13% a year, while the youngest and oldest broad age groups account for 15.11% and 19.80%. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 28.6% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. Looking ahead, 45.62 million is projected for 2050 under the medium scenario, compared with 39.74 million in 2024.
Population Over Time in Canada
The 2000 to 2024 record shows Canada moving from 30.892M people to 39.742M, a 28.7% increase. Looking ahead, the medium projection points to 45.622M in 2050, 14.8% higher than the 2024 level. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Broad age shares place Canada in a maturing demographic position in 2024. Children under 15 account for 15.11% of residents, people 65+ for 19.80%, and the 15 to 64 group for 65.09%. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
In the World Bank 2024 series, females account for 50.3% of Canada's population and males 49.7%. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.3% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.7% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Current momentum in Canada combines +1.13% population change with fertility at 1.3, as the working-age group accounts for 65.09% of the population.
The 2024 total in Canada stands 28.6% above the 2000 reference, while the medium scenario adds a +14.8% change between 2024 and 2050; no specific birth, death or migration contribution is inferred from that total.
2024 estimate for Canada. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Canada vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, Canada's annual population change was higher than the global pace, fertility was below the world level, and its population was older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Canada | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +1.13% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.3 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 40 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Canada and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
Canada has 39,742,430 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +1.13% over the year.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 15.11% are under 15 and 19.80% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 50.3% and 49.7% respectively.
By 2050, the medium projection is 45.622M, differing from 2024 by roughly 5.88 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Canada?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Canada is 39,742,430 people.
Is the population of Canada growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Canada's population is growing, with annual change of +1.13%.
What percentage of the population of Canada is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 19.80% of Canada's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Canada in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Canada's 2050 population at 45,621,882.
What is the fertility rate in Canada?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Canada is 1.3 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.